Loyalty (1)
Plot On the ocean near the coast of Somalia, arms dealer Taras Broidy leads a heavily armed boat full of wealthy tourists on a "safari" to target African pirate vessels. He points out an approaching vessel and allows his passengers to blow it apart, claiming to have information that it is crewed by pirates; in reality, it is manned by a tribal sheikh and his new bride. News of the sheikh's death reaches two of his children, Hassan and his sister Kadra, in Manhattan as Broidy, Roy Loftin, and Jan Van Dekker celebrate the completion of a carefully laid plan. With the sheikh gone, they are free to proceed with an arms deal and establish a private police force under their control in the Horn of Africa. Loftin has recruited Danny Ross for the scheme. After a night of celebration, Broidy and his mistress Marya both wash up, shot through the head, under the Brooklyn Bridge. Goren and Eames discover that Broidy ran a security company with Van Dekker, and also that he was the target of a federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case. When the detectives take this information to Ross, he tells them that the FBI is watching Broidy and that they should drop it. Intrigued, the detectives dig deeper and become suspicious when they find an email from Broidy to Loftin approving a payout to a "Ross" for $2 million. They also catch sight of him meeting with a woman and believe that he may be starting a new romantic relationship, moving on from his divorce. Meanwhile, Hassan studies with a mullah in an effort to quickly brush up on the history of his country and his religion. He faces pressure from Kadra to break off his long-term relationship with American-born Jill Peak. Concerned about Ross' possible involvement, Goren poses as a civilian and pays an unscheduled visit to Loftin, rousing the latter's suspicions. Hassan learns that Ross is working undercover with the FBI on their RICO case, based on photographs that show him meeting with his contact. Ross is lured to a rendezvous, where one of Hassan's men shows him the photo and shoots him dead. Loftin's body is found soon afterward. As Goren, Eames, and Nichols question Van Dekker and are about to get him to confess, Ross's contact - FBI Agent Wendy Stahl (Amy Landecker) - and her colleagues show up to take him into custody, leaving the detectives empty-handed. Cast Main cast * Vincent D'Onofrio as Detective Robert Goren * Kathryn Erbe as Detective Alexandra Eames * Eric Bogosian as Captain Danny Ross Recurring cast * Jeff Goldblum as Detective Zack Nichols * Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Elizabeth Rodgers * Ato Essandoh as Sayid Abdullah Hassan * David Pittu as Roy Lofton * John Sharian as Jan Van Dekker * Amy Landecker as FBI Agent Wendy Stahl * David Zayas as Lt. Stanley Maas * Allen McCullough as Russell Milgram * Condola Rashad as Kadra * Jicky Schnee as Jill Peak * Scott Whitehurst as Ron Hegel * Sean T. Krishnan as R.J. Patel Guest cast * Ramsey Faragallah as Taras Broidy * Michael Warner as Dr. Malcome Laventhal * Louisa Krause as Jolie * Ewa da Cruz as Marya * Michael Genet as Mullah * Akin Babatunde as Omar * Folake Olowofoyeku as Timiro * Joseph Langham as Captain * Nat McIntyre as Helmsman * Kevin Cutts as Detective Gerrigan * Rick Washburn as Otar References Somalia; Mad Mullah; Puntland; Sky Moon Tourbillon; Damocles Security; Patterson airport; Djibouti; George Washington; RICO case Quotes Background information and notes *This is the second two-parter for the series; the first was "In the Wee Small Hours (1)" and "In the Wee Small Hours (2)" from season 5. It is the first time in the Law & Order franchise that there is a two-part season premiere. *This is the first time Goren and Nichols have worked together in a case; This is the third time Nichols and Eames have worked together since "Revolution" and "Major Case" from season 8. *Goren seems to return to his old ways since the beginning of season 7 and have fully recovered from his turmoil the past three seasons. *This is the last episode for Eric Bogosian as his character (Captain Ross) have been murdered. This is the first and only time in the series that a main cast member has been killed off. *The two-part episode had been named "Puntland" and "Mad Mullah" during production. *This episode marks the return of the time card that has been absent the past three seasons. Category:CI episodes